


It's Time To Let Go

by YunHo_1819



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Loss, Flat earthers, Gen, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26493592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunHo_1819/pseuds/YunHo_1819
Summary: I stifled another shriek as we flew across turbulence. I hate flying. Not because of the dreadful feeling of free falling every time the plane lurches, or of the ringing in my ears, but because of my fear of falling off the edge of the world.It seems pretty irrational, I know. But I’ve seen the inky blackness of the edge myself, with its tendrils that snake and curl silently, hypnotising you, luring you into a pit of rolling waves and suffocating shadows.And once you’ve fallen through it, you’re never seen again.
Relationships: Bianca di Angelo & Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	It's Time To Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is actually pretty unrelated to pjo, but the scenario reminded me of its characters, so I just used their names.
> 
> Written for homework, with the prompt 'Plane flight'  
> 'Flat earthers' was a prompt/idea provided by classmates  
> (This was actually a group work, but since I did like 95% of the work, I'm allowed to claim rights, right?)

I stifled another shriek as we flew across turbulence. I hate flying. Not because of the dreadful feeling of free falling every time the plane lurches, or of the ringing in my ears, but because of my fear of falling off the edge of the world. It seems pretty irrational, I know. But I’ve seen the inky blackness of the edge myself, with its tendrils that snake and curl silently, hypnotising you, luring you into a pit of rolling waves and suffocating shadows. And once you’ve fallen through it, you’re never seen again.

Jason, who was seated by my side, stared at me and heaved a sigh of exasperation. He had dragged me onto a plane, saying it was to prove that the earth wasn’t flat, and claiming it was for my own good. But right now, he wasn’t very convincing.

  
“It’s going to be fine, Nico. We’re almost there-”

His words were knocked out of his mouth as another bump was hit, making me yelp aloud. He turned and stared at me once again, only this time with a hint of worry in his eyes. “Look, it’s going to be fine, alright? We’re not going to fall off the edge of the world or anything. The earth is round. It can’t happen.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but then the air thinned, blinding lights filled my vision and everything went dark.

* * *

I found myself isolated in a familiar, yet unrecognisable place. Stretches of sand extended in every direction before breaking into a sea of vast, rolling waves. The scene was calm, collected. I decided to walk around. However as soon as I moved to make a step, I heard something. A whisper. I whipped my head around, only to face more dunes of sand.

“Help!”

The scream reverberated through my head. My heart raced as I looked hopelessly around me for the source of the voice. That’s when I saw her: A flailing hand, far into the sea, the rest of the figure consumed by relentless torrents, crashing and grabbing, pulling the victim mercilessly down. I cried out in shock, running forward and reaching out my hand for her to grab, but all my effort was futile. Right before my eyes, she disappeared, gone forever into the void, wiped from existence. I let out a cry of despair, the crashing waves pounding in my mind, the scene flashing before my eyes, again and again, till everything was just a blur of murky darkness.

Reopening my eyes, I blearily note the sunlight streaming in and Jason talking to the flight attendant, voices hushed and in urgent tones. He glanced back at me and his features relaxed.

“You’re awake!”

He seemed rather shaken as he dismissed the flight attendant and sat back down.

“Sorry’ I muttered, ‘What happened?”

He nodded absently, not bothering to explain. Sighing in frustration, I glanced out of the window, pointedly ignoring the glances sent my way. The sky was taking on a brilliant shade of amber. The sun was rising. Wait. It was evening. How was the sun rising? I watched in horrified fascination as the sun slowly rose up and disappeared completely.

“Jason,” I whispered, “The sun’s disappeared!”

He stared at me quizzically.

“It’s sunset.”

“No, the sun disappeared upwards!”

I could feel the panic slowly rising to my throat, the sudden realisation striking me: We must’ve dropped off the edge of the world.

“Nico? Neeks, look at me. Everything is fine. Calm down. It’s only sunset.”

My breath quickens as I look around frantically. Why did no one else notice? The plane jerked violently. I elicit a scream. All around me, passengers turn their heads, eyes boring into my skull. They must think I’m crazy. But how do I tell them what I saw, when no one else seemed to see it?

“We have arrived. Come on.”

Jason grabbed our bags from the cabin as the passengers filed out, their whispers sending my head reeling.

At first glance, the airport was large and bare, with blinding lights and people bustling around. Squinting a little, I realised that the lights were coming from the ground. I looked up, and almost fell over. All the airport facilities were there, towering down and threatening to fall. We were standing on the ceiling. To put it simply, everything was upside-down. I screwed my eyes shut. This must be just a dream. It can’t actually be happening. Counting to three, I exhaled and opened my eyes. Nothing changed. We really have gone off the edge of the earth, and now we’re on the other side.

* * *

Walking on the ceiling wasn’t the biggest problem. When reaching the giant automated doors, I looked out and saw that the ground before me was nothing but empty space. Jason, however, didn’t seem to notice that something was wrong. He would’ve plunged into oblivion if I hadn’t shrieked and jerked him back in time.

“What?”

He sounded rather annoyed now.

“Can’t you see? There’s literally a cliff in front of you!”

“Huh?”

Scrunching his forehead in disbelief, he seemed to ponder at this, then sighed in resignation.

“Okay, then tell me what you see.”

Shoulders sagging in relief, I spilled everything to him. How all the skyscrapers outside were dangling from above, how we were standing on the roof of the airport, and even how I saw a girl in a green hat running out, only to cry out in shock as she dropped down into the sky, arms flailing wildly and gasping for air. His eyes widened in realisation, then nodded as if he understood.

“Can you do something for me?” 

* * *

“So you’re telling me, you want me to close my eyes, and follow you blindly to wherever we’re headed?”

He nodded, hiding a smile. I shot him an incredulous look.

“Look, trust me, okay? I know what I’m doing. Just follow exactly what I say, and don’t open your eyes.”

He stared at me and his eyes softened a little. 

“I’m sorry, but it’s for your own good.”

Gripping his arm tightly, I followed behind him, trying not to peek through my eyelids, or imagine us dropping into the clear sky. He led us through what I assumed was the door. To my surprise, my feet hit solid ground, the sound of gravel grinding against my shoes. Thoughts and noises tumbled and swirled in my mind, and I hung to his arm like a lifeline. After what felt like eternity, we entered a car. The door slammed shut and I slumped in relief.

“Don’t open your eyes yet,”

His voice strained and anxious, yet tainted with reassurance.

“We’re almost there.”

I dipped my head in understanding, before nodding off to sleep with the rhythmic rumbling of the engine.

* * *

“How long has this been happening?”

“For around a year, I think. He has never been the same since the accident.”

“He suffers from severe hallucinations and delusions, possibly with flashbacks.”

“Will he be alright?”

“Most likely, but we’ll have to do some assessments to make sure.”

Voices were vibrating in my mind. Were they talking about me? Blearily I blinked, the sudden light leaving spots in my vision. I was lying on a couch, in a homely little room. The world was no longer upside down. Where am I? Jason entered the room, a middle aged lady with a kindly round face trailing behind him.

“Nico, this is Hestia. She’s your therapist.”

Jason explained, looking slightly guilty. Therapist? Why would I need one? Did he not believe me? The unasked questions seemed to be understood, as he continued,

“She’s not here for our flat earth/round earth debacle. She’s here to help you through… your loss.”

_My loss?_

“Do you remember… your sister?”

My sister. The realisation hit me like a brick. The memories flooded back, and everything I tried to forget and leave behind, burst through my mental walls like water breaking through a dam. The accident. The funeral. Suddenly it all made sense. What I thought was the edge of the world, was in fact the sea. That fateful day when my sister drowned, it was the end of the world. The end of _my_ world. I heaved a sob, burying my face in my arms. Distantly, I could hear Jason murmuring something indistinguishable, the soothing tones calming my frayed nerves. He was right. This trip was for my own good. Maybe things haven’t gotten better, but I had finally accepted the fact that what had happened, had happened, and only by accepting the facts, would I ever lead to recovery.

* * *

That night, I had a dream. I found myself back at the beach. I looked around anxiously, knowing what would happen. Squinting towards the glimmering waves, I saw my sister swimming happily in the sea, neck deep. Heart pounding, I scrambled towards her, the water splashing around my feet. She turned towards me, smiling slightly. I grabbed her hand.

“Let’s get out of here. It isn’t safe.”  
She shook her head slightly, waving me off.

“It’s time to let me go, Neeks.”

She pulled me into a hug.

“ _Thank you._ ” I whispered, as she dissolved into a shower of light, dissipating into the clear, shimmering sea. I smiled.

_It’s time to let go._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave comments and opinions below!


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